Miguel Cotto: What's Next for the Former World Champ After Consecutive Losses?

This past weekend Miguel Cotto entered the ring for yet another high-profile fight. 

This time, he went one-on-one with the undefeated WBA Light Middleweight champion Austin Trout.

This was only the second fight of the year for Cotto. Then again, considering his last fight was against Floyd Mayweather, I'm sure Cotto didn't need the extra payday.

Even so, Cotto did get in the ring with Trout and wound up losing his second consecutive bout.

This is the first time that the Puerto Rican superstar has had a losing streak in his entire 11-year career.

So now that he's 32 years of age with a record of 37-4 and is facing the biggest obstacle of his career, many are wondering what lies ahead for the former champion.

I will play the role of the crystal ball and tell you what I think are possible steps for Miguel Angel Cotto.

First off, I will say that he will not retire anytime soon. I think he still has some good fights left in him.

However, I would not be surprised if he decides to take time off to be with his family.

The immediate and the most likely option would be a rematch with Austin Trout.

While I do feel that Cotto deserves a rematch, making that happen will be easier said than done. 

It appears that Golden Boy Promotions is pushing for Trout be the next in line to fight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

Perhaps Cotto can flip the script and challenge Alvarez himself. It is very unlikely, but not impossible.

If Cotto is unable to secure a fight with either Trout or Alvarez, rematches with Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao are possibilities. 

I will admit, however, that negotiating a rematch with the "Pac-Man" would be a chore in itself. 

For starters, depending on what happens between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez this weekend, the Filipino congressman will have his own future to decide.

Also, Cotto wanted a rematch with Pacquiao before taking the fight with Trout, but the two sides were unable to agree on a weight class—Cotto wanted to fight at Light Middleweight, Pacquiao did not. 

The good thing is that Mayweather has said that would grant Cotto a rematch if he wanted one. Only time will tell.

A very slim possibility would be to go back down to welterweight and challenge Timothy Bradley. 

Ever since Bradley defeated Pacquiao earlier this year, the current WBO Welterweight Champion has been looking for his next big fight.

Most boxers normally don't go back down in weight class once they've moved up, but Bradley obviously isn't afraid to go up against the biggest names in boxing.

One scenario that could play out is one that not too many people have talked about yet.

Perhaps Miguel Cotto could move up to middleweight. This would put him in the same division with guys like Sergio Martinez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Andy Lee, and Kelly Pavlick.

So now, we wait for official word from Miguel Cotto himself. Until then, there will be plenty of other good fights to watch.